A/N: Hello, and thank you for choosing to read my story. :) This is my first fanfiction and I'm very excited to share it. Before the actual plot begins to advance, I have four mini-chapters that show the main characters' reactions to getting their Hogwarts letters and other events occurring in the summer before they start school. This is Alastor Moody's story. Enjoy!

Alastor Moody

Alastor Moody always knew that he was like his father. When he was a young boy he would listen carefully as his father told him stories of Dark wizards he had put into Azkaban prison. Instead of fearing the wizards that his father spoke of, he was inspired to become a Dark wizard catcher himself. His childhood days were spent dreaming of a time when Alastor himself would be praised for catching those in their world that had gone as bad as one could go. Alastor Moody felt nothing but pride and love for his father; he was Alastor's hero.

Auror Victor Moody felt the same pride for his only son. When the young boy struggled with the many chores his mother gave him, Victor was there to help with a bit of magic. He knew in his heart that Alastor was destined for greater things than cleaning and cooking, although he wouldn't dare admit this to his wife. Alastor was fascinated by the wizarding world and was quite proud to call himself a wizard, yet he was even prouder to call himself Victor Moody's son.

When he was eleven years old, the Moody family anticipated Alastor's acceptance into Hogwarts. Victor told his eager son that it was only a matter of time until his letter came. Alastor asked his father what his Hogwarts days were like; Victor had been a Gryffindor and an exceptional Beater on the Quidditch team. Alastor hoped he could live up to his father's standards. He was lucky, though, that Victor believed in him and would be proud of him no matter how he did in school.

As June rolled around in the year nineteen forty-four, Alastor was bouncing with excitement. He would soon be venturing into Diagon Alley to purchase his first wand, among other items he would need for his first year at Hogwarts. Of course he had been there before, tagging along his father as he carried out his usual errands.

Alastor remembered the last time he had gone to Diagon Alley with his father. Victor had stopped by the entrance to Knockturn Alley, requesting that Alastor stand back. Victor Moody's stance at the entrance inspired fear in those who were up to no good. Alastor had watched as hooded figures packed up their stolen goods and fled the street, never glancing back at the Auror as they went. He noticed that his father did not need to utter a single word; his mere presence was intimidating enough to those in the dark alley.

Alastor looked back upon that particular visit with happiness. When his father had returned from Knockturn Alley they had a wonderful shopping trip. Victor had even let Alastor keep some silver sickles to spend on whatever he liked. He had bought himself a book from Flourish & Blott's bookstore: Defeating the Dark Arts. He had expected his father to protest, as his mother surely would, but he only smiled and told Alastor he had made an excellent selection. Other children would have purchased a pet animal or a joke shop item, yet Alastor had no interest in such things. He only wanted to become more like his father. He wanted to learn how to take down Dark wizards.

As June came and went, July's approach was noticeable to all. The gentle breeze of spring had been replaced by the scorching heat of summer. Trees were green and bright, healthy and providing a beautiful sight to onlookers. Alastor loved the summer, as Victor tended to take more days off from the Ministry to spend time with him. Summer provided warmth and happiness to the Moody family.

Unfortunately, this summer was different for Alastor. A Dark wizard named Gellert Grindelwald had been terrorizing wizards and Muggles in Bulgaria and Germany; Alastor had read in the Daily Prophet that Grindelwald was trying to purge the world of Muggles and Muggle-born witches and wizards. Although Alastor was a pure-blood wizard, he felt no hatred towards those who were not. He did not understand why blood would make such a difference in the world.

The Prophet had also mentioned that Grindelwald was moving into England. On the day that Alastor first learned this, the newspaper had reported the deaths of six Muggles and three wizards. Grindelwald had acquired a small number of followers in Britain that sympathized with his prejudices.

Alastor did not feel scared at the threat, but he was scared that his father was going to put himself into the fray to save more from being murdered. He knew his father had been working overtime lately. When Victor came home each night he was much too tired to tell Alastor stories of Hogwarts, nor did he affectionately mess up Alastor's hair as he used to when he saw his son looking eagerly up at him.

August sixth was the day that would become one of the worst days of Alastor Moody's life. He had been outside most of the day, running about with three of his Muggle friends from the neighborhood. He enjoyed the company of his friends, although he never revealed to them that he was a wizard. They played Muggle games such as football in the summer and conkers in autumn. On this particular day, the boys were playing badminton. They were swinging their rackets wildly, nearly missing one another and howling with laughter. Alastor's happy thoughts were interrupted when he heard someone calling his name.

"Alastor," Gregory Holmes said suddenly, "your mum's calling you."

Alastor looked up and saw that his mother was indeed beckoning him back to their home. He quickly waved goodbye to Gregory and the others and hurried toward the small cottage that was the Moody household.

Right when he arrived at the front door, Alastor knew something was terribly wrong. Inside were three members of Victor Moody's Auror department; Alastor seemed to recognize one of them but couldn't think of his name. Alastor looked at his mother and saw that her eyes were wide and filled with tears. The Auror that Alastor had recognized stood up and gestured for Alastor to enter the sitting room with them.

"Good afternoon, Alastor," the Auror said. "My name is Edward Perkins. I'm an Auror, just like your father. Behind me are Lyle Flanagan and Valentino Dearboy. Please have a seat. There is something that we've come to tell you and your mother."

Perkins smiled, but Alastor noted hesitation behind the expression. He was convinced that something was wrong. Where was his father? Surely he would be here if three members of his department were in their home?

He looked at his mother, who had begun to silently weep. She was standing in the doorway of the sitting room, looking straight ahead as her tears spilled down her face and onto the oak wood floor. Eleanor Moody was a strong woman; she did not cry over trivial matters. In all his life Alastor had only seen his mother cry once prior to this day. Upon looking at her, Alastor became certain that something was definitely wrong. The anxiety was weighing on his chest as if someone had placed a ten pound weight onto it.

Alastor entered the sitting room and sat down next to Dearboy. He noticed that Dearboy was much older and more frail-looking than the other two. Alastor wondered to himself how someone that delicate-looking could manage to keep up with the rest of the squad. His thoughts were interrupted when Perkins started to speak again, this time slowly.

"Alastor, do you know who Gellert Grindelwald is?"

Alastor's pale blue eyes flashed with disdain at the sound of the name. He hated Grindelwald. The man was murdering Muggles and praising pure-bloods. He thought of his Muggle friends; the boys that he spent his days playing various Muggle sports with, and whispering ghost stories with at night. Alastor didn't understand how others could believe that blood status really determined your place in society.

Alastor understood, even at eleven years old, that Grindelwald was nothing but pure evil. His heart beat frantically inside his chest. If Grindelwald was involved this was certainly going to be dreadful news. Fearing his voice would betray him, Alastor merely nodded in response to Perkins's question.

"Yes, I suppose I'd be surprised if you hadn't heard of him by now." Perkins paused, clearly pondering how to continue. "Well, Grindelwald invaded the Yorkshire coast last night. It was an entirely unexpected attack. Many Muggles were hurt and we sent out our best Aurors to fight him and his forces. He took two wizards hostage, you see. Your father went to Leeds early this morning to fight him."

Perkins paused for the second time. This time, he glanced back at his colleagues. His tired hazel eyes were pleading for someone else to continue with the tale. Alastor himself was no longer paying attention. He wasn't thick - he knew what was coming. He knew what they were going to say, yet he prayed that he was wrong. In fact, Alastor would have given up everything he owned if only he were wrong about this.

Dearboy put his hand on Alastor's shoulder and squeezed. The younger boy looked up at the Auror, silently thanking him for the gesture.

"I'm very sorry, Alastor," Dearboy said from beside him. "Your father was killed in the battle at Leeds. He fought bravely; he took down seven of Grindelwald's lieutenants. He fought like a hero, Alastor. I only wish-"

Alastor decided he'd had enough. He rose quickly from his seat next to the elder Auror and walked out of the room without a word. He had known what was coming; there was no other reason why three Aurors would be at his house and his mother in tears. Yet hearing it made it so much more real. Alastor's hero, his mentor, his best friend, his father was dead. He didn't care that Victor Moody had taken down Grindelwald's best lieutenants. He did not care who killed him or how evil they were. His father was dead and never coming back.

He strode through the kitchen and out the back door of the cottage. When he stepped into the backyard, he felt the cool breeze blowing his blond hair in all directions. Alastor stood by his mother's garden, thinking about what he had just been told. Victor Moody would never see his son onto the Hogwarts Express. Alastor would never receive an owl from his father, telling him how proud he was and sending him sweets.

Alastor did not allow himself to cry. It was not that he thought crying was a weakness; it was that he felt his father would not want him to cry. His father would want him to be strong for him. That was what he would do; he would be strong.

A few minutes later, Eleanor came out to comfort her son. Her cheeks were still tear-stained, but she seemed to have temporarily stopped crying. She approached her son with quiet caution and slipped one of her thin arms around his shoulders. Alastor looked up at his mother, studying the unrestrained sadness in her eyes. Her beautiful brown orbs would normally be filled with determination and strength; Alastor's mother was the strongest woman he knew and her every feature showed it.

"Mum," Alastor said in a voice that was barely a whisper, "I'm sorry."

Eleanor looked at him, alarmed. "What do you have to be sorry for, Alastor?"

"Dad's gone," he admitted out loud, avoiding his mother's eyes.

He felt his mother put both of her hands on each side of his face as she gently guided his gaze to meet hers. It gave him a small flicker of happiness to see that the fortuitous woman he knew was back again. As he looked at his mother now, the weeping woman inside was only a memory.

"You listen to me, Alastor Victor Moody," she said sternly. "You have nothing to be sorry for. Do you hear me? Nothing! Your father died a hero. He went out the way that he wanted to, and he took a couple of those bastards down with him. He died fighting to make this world a better place for us to live in."

Alastor watched his mother as she spoke. Her voice rose with each word, and soon the shaking in her voice was gone. Alastor felt an overwhelming amount of pride for Eleanor Moody.

"Your father left something with me some time ago. I was to give it to you if anything ever happened to him. You don't have to read it just yet, but I thought you ought to have it now."

Eleanor held out an envelope with Alastor's name written on it. He took it quickly and began to open it.

"I want to read it now," Alastor told her as he pried the letter out from inside the envelope.

To my son, Alastor,
Unfortunately, if you are reading this, it means that something has happened to me. If that is the case, I am dreadfully sorry that you must now go on without me. At the time that I am writing this, you are ten years old. I do not know how old you will be when you read this, but right now I can say with much certainty that you will soon be growing into a strong man (and you may have already). Always remember to remain alert, Alastor. Don't allow yourself to fall as easily as I have. You are much stronger than that.

Do you remember the phrase I used to motivate you when you were younger? The very phrase you began to chant at me every time I left for the Auror office, to make sure I would remember to employ it? I'm sure you do remember it. Think of what "constant vigilance" means to YOU, Alastor. Apply it to yourself and embed it in your mind. If you always remember to utilize constant vigilance in everything that you do, there is no doubt in my mind that you will succeed.

Again, I am dreadfully sorry that this will be the last you hear from me. I pray that my memory grows stronger inside your mind each day I am gone, until one day we are reunited once more. I will not promise you that your life will be full of easy successes or lacking in evil. You, I am afraid, grow in the climate of war. You must always remember to have your wits about you. If you do not, you will regret it. I know you are strong enough for what lies ahead, Alastor. I know that you have what it takes to be a true fighter. Please be careful, and always remember how much I love you. Be good, son.

With love,
Victor C. Moody

Alastor stared at the letter for a few seconds before folding it up and inserting it in his left trouser pocket. His father's parting words rang in his ears as if he had just spoken them aloud. He could hear "constant vigilance," his father's favorite phrase, repeated over and over again.

Alastor had not realized his mother was watching him read his letter. When she coughed lightly he glanced up, startled, to find that she had not moved an inch since handing him the letter. Her eyes were distant, devoid of feeling.

"He was a great man," Eleanor said slowly. Her lips barely moved with each word, but Alastor still heard them.

"He always will be," her son concluded.

He approached his mother and pulled her in a hug. Eleanor seemed to resist at first as her back went rigid with her son's touch. After a few moments, she weakened. Alastor held onto her tightly, even when he heard her begin to sob. His mother needed this.

"We'll get through this, Mum," Alastor promised.

In that moment, Alastor vowed that he would always take care of his mother. Not only that but he also swore that he would not shame his father; he would continue to be strong. When he was through with Hogwarts, he was going to become an Auror and catch Dark wizards and witches like Grindelwald. And, when it was his time to depart from the world, he would take down a few demons with him. Alastor Moody would follow the footsteps of his father before him and become a hero.